Dwayne Johnson Speaks Out on the Negative Reception of Black Adam
Actor Dwayne Johnson has spoken openly about the difficult circumstances surrounding his DC movie, Black Adam, and the negative reception it received from critics. Speaking to Variety at the 2023 Oscars, Johnson explained that the team had done everything they could to deliver a movie that lived up to expectations, acknowledging that there were some criticisms. Despite this, he pointed out that the audience score for Black Adam was in the 90s and that audiences had been delighted with the film.
Johnson also expressed his disappointment that Black Adam would no longer be part of the DCEU, after Peter Safran and James Gunn came on board to revolutionize everything. The actor had hoped that his character would face off against Henry Cavill’s Superman as part of a new era in the DC universe. However, he compared their exclusion from the DCEU to a new owner taking over a football team, choosing to replace the coach and players.
In IGN’s review of Black Adam, the film was criticized for feeling both overstuffed and underdeveloped, unable to keep up with the origin story of the main character, four members of the Justice Society, a trio of human characters, and a villain to fight, all in one movie. Despite these criticisms, Johnson remains proud of Black Adam and his performance in the film.